008 LASER ROBOT - DAIYA - JAPANRed lithographed tinplate friction robot. Inertia crank action. The robot has a boxy design. The head has a slightly angled face with a red plastic dome on the top. The winder on the back is turned to generate the walking action. Loose grey plastic arms. The robot has a masked or Racoon or face; a prototype is known without this mask. First seen in the 1968 Lewis Galoob Toy Catalog.

The first box has a picture of the robot destroying a city: a feature that harks back to the early robots. The later box is a plainer window box. The earliest version currently dates back to the Daiya catalog for 1967, though the face of the robot has a unique design: a target-like set of circles between the eyes.

ACROBAT ROBOT - HORIKAWA - JAPANPlastic battery operated robot with tumbling action. Lighted eyes. Bump and go. The earliest sighting to date is in the "Japan 1981" catalog where it is called the Acrobatic Robot.

There are two Acrobat robots: yellow and chrome. Yellow is described as new in the 1980 Horikawa catalog and chrome is new in the 1981 catalog.

ACROBOT - TOMY - JAPANVery small plastic windup robots. The long arms produce a tumbling action. Made by Tomy for Parker.

ACROBOT - YONEZAWA - JAPANPlastic battery op tumbling robot. Advances with walking motion and moving arms as the light in his head blinks. Adjustable arms and legs-put him in the position you want. Acrobat 29cm

There are two color variations: a darker blue version with blue feet and a lighter blue with yellow feet or red feet. Pictured are a dark blue version in a Japanese box and lighter blue in an English box.

An interesting note: the yellow feet are much larger than the red feet, presumably to improve stability. The yellow version also has a slightly different internal structure and looks as though it is a later reworking of the design.

Based on the Yonezawa Space Explorer design. See also the Warrior designs.

ACTION ROBOT INVADER - HONG KONGPlastic battery op robot with rotating action, opening doors in chest and shooting guns. Black plastic with yellow hands, feet and chest detailing. This reworking of the Kamco Cosmos Robot has had a pair of missile firing ears added - the same design as seen on the SH Missile Robot. 1980s

ACTION TV ROBOT - MAKER?Plastic battery operated robot with TV screen in head. This is another release of the Horikawa Lambda-I robot, very similar to the Super TV Robot.

Bump and go action with sounds and pictures on the TV screen. Maker? Window box.

ALADINO - NACIONAL DE JUGUETES - MEXICOPlastic robot with long arms. Blow molded plastic. Comes in a red window box. Pull-along toy, the large red plastic wheels at the feet makes the antenna turn and the eyes move in an hypnotizing wavy motion. Decal detail on chest and wheels. 9"

The robot has the same basic body as Percival and Ar-Tur. xadded

ALIEN ZEROID -

ANSWER GAME ROBOT - ICHIDA - JAPANA static lithographed tinplate robot. This large robot has a green body, yellow arms, gold head and a multicolored base. Battery operated with a flashing light on the top. The robot is a calculating machine, able to do basic addition and subtraction. Some box versions carry the Amico brand of the distribution company.

There are two distinct versions, one with three levers (left) and one with four (right). The box art only shows the three lever version and is probably the original artwork. It appears that the fourth lever, marked A, was added later to resolve problems with lock up of the complex mechanism. It acts as a reset lever.

First sighted on the cover of the Western Auto Christmas Catalog, 1966 - it's only a line drawing, but it's there.

ANSWERMAN DING-A-LING - TOPPER - HONG KONGRed plastic robot with green feet and blue arms. The robot has a clear plastic head containing three colored balls. Shoots a red spinner from its head. Pulling a lever on the side turns a roller on the chest that gives a yes or no answer.

One of the Topper Ding-A-Ling series that can be motorised with the addition of a battery operated backpack. Sold in boxed clear plastic packaging.

There are two versions of the Apollo 2000:
The first one was made for Tarheel Industries. It has all tin doors, a green switch and deep doors - ones with a pronounced ridge.

The second version was made for Durham Industries. It has a red switch, and litho metal doors on plastic.

As these robots have no SH logo they probably don’t appear in Horikawa catalogs.

Apollo 2000 has already been dated to 1969 in a Western Auto Christmas catalog. The Super Robot version with red eyes and more litho detailing on the doors has been sighted in 1972.

APOLLO 2000X WALKING ASTRONAUT - HIRO - JAPANTin and plastic wind up astronaut. Made for Mego. The legs are "solid" with a shuffling walk unlike the flat stepover style of the other Hiro robots. See Cap't Astro, which shares the same body, head, astronaut face and arms, though the spark panel has been replaced by a litho panel.

APOLLO SPACEMAN - MORTOYS - HONG KONGThis is one of the popular robots with transparent bodies revealing visible gear mechanisms. In this case it is a plastic battery operated astronaut with orange legs, white arms and a boy's face inside a white space helmet. Walking action with turning gears and flashing lights. There are several variations of this popular design.

The visible gears consist of one large ring gear with smaller gears inside. See thru. Walks, gears turn, the head lights. Made for Mego. Date?

Two versions of this huge cylindrical robot were produced: the first made a loud noise when switched on. The second version had a button on the head to turn off the sound. It's possible that the sound had proved to be too annoying. Takes four batteries.

This robot has the same body pressing as Percival O Genial Robot. It shares features with the Sparky-XZ robot.

Date?

ASTO-ROBOT - GAKKEN - JAPANThis is a very unusual robot. Blue plastic battery operated robot with dial details. It has a white head with red features. Red plastic cylinders on the back hold the batteries. The robot has four long arced plastic legs that descend in pairs to allow the robot to move with a shuffling motions. "Blinking light on head and two razer guns". A small yellow dome in the head lights and two recessed guns in the chest fire. The entire design is unique. Gakken produced a few space toys but this is their only robot. (so far!)

A newspaper ad dates this to November 1970.

ASTRO CAPTAIN - DAIYA - JAPANA rounded white plastic wind up astronaut with thin red plastic arms and oversized red plastic feet. A spark window is set into a blue tin chest plate. The astronaut robot has a very rounded head with face detail behind a clear plastic visor. Wind up action with spark. The box depicts a lean, realistic astronaut, a far cry from the one in the box.

ASTRO CAPTAIN - DAIYA FOR MEGO - JAPANBlue lithographed tinplate wind up astronaut with plastic arms. This boxy robot has a plastic spark panel in the chest and has copious litho details of oxygen tanks and control panels. Tin domed helmet with NASA wording. The tin shoulder caps also appear in yellow with black dots . A version of this wind up robot , the KV70, appears in the Daiya 1969 catalog. On sale in September 1969.

ASTRO RADAR ROBOT - MAKER? - HONG KONGSmall plastic friction drive pedestal robot with large antenna. This red plastic robot with yellow arms has a very static appearance. There's a chrome plastic chest panel and large silver rotating antenna. The selling point of this robot is its slow, long running friction motor. Window box. Hong Kong

ASTRO SCOUT - YONEZAWA - JAPANTin friction astronaut. Crank operated robot advances with walking motion. A partner of the Yonezawa X-27 Explorer. Based on a pressurised Grumman space suit (complete with large number 3 on the chest) from 1962. It's the same suit as the Moon Suit accessory pack for Matt Mason. Originals have Y logo Made in Japan printed below the 3 chest panel.

ASTROID WALKING ROBOT, - ASTROIDS - TARHEEL - HONG KONGSmall green and yellow plastic wind up robot. V shape molded into the chest. Protruding eyes. Large chrome plastic rotating antenna. Part of the Astroids range. Tarheel is the importer. Sold in a plastic display box. On sale in November 1969.

The transparent green plastic components are attached to the metal chassis. The head is made of a luminous plastic. The plastic antenna is notoriously fragile. Components, particularly the clear plastic dome, are inclined to distort.

The German patent for this toy was issued in 1959. The first firm dating is in a Dux catalog for January 1959.

See-thru

ASTROMAN - NOMURA - JAPANTin and plastic windup astronaut. Advances with walking motion and sparking backpack. It was intended to be a knock off of the spaceman from "2001, A Space Odyssey"; the box art of Nomura's Walking Astroman with Sparks shows a fairly serious looking astronaut and it is in fact a direct copy of a famous still from Kubrik's film. The background has changed but the pose is distinctive.

Nomura decided, however, to base the design on the existing body of a wind up Tetsujin #28 and the result is an inflated comical looking astronaut with an oversized head. The Tetsujin litho has had a total overhall and there's an authentic plastic helmet with an astronaut's face. The rest is, however, the same, right down to the studded collar, cuffs and clenched rubber hands of T #28. The result is that it's fatter and misproportioned in comparison with the box illustration.

The action is unmodified: a switch in the chest starts him walking while a spark mechanism operates. This astronaut has been reproduced and new colors have been introduced.

On the right is the inspiration for the Nomura Astroman, "2001, A Space Odyssey". The artwork is an almost exact copy of the movie still.

ASTRON ROBOT - SOMA - HONG KONGThe name is the most unusual feature of this robot but it is a copy of a standard SH based rotating astronaut. Black plastic battery operated astronaut. Opening chest doors and shooting guns. Rotates. Note the creases at the knee instead of the usual molded ball joint. Cheap swivel-o-matic design. Attacking Martian style.

ASTRONAUT WITH RAZER - NOGUCHI - JAPANThere's a dramatic mismatch between the slender astronaut 2001 Space Odyssey style astronaut on the box and the jolly fat astronaut inside. If you look closely you'll see the "Astronout" misspelling on box. Tin wind up astronaut with spark panel and paddle feet. No antenna. "Lego" style Noguchi spark window set into the chest. Inflated Michelin Man look. Based on 'W' or Tobor style.

ASTRONAUT, BLUE VERSION - DAIYA - JAPANReferred to as the Daiya Astronaut, in preference to the other astronauts by Daiya. Tin battery op. Early 1960s. (Blue version does not have the Cragstan logo). Advances with walking motion. He stops, raises his gun with lighted end and simulated firing sound and repeats the action. This is a particularly bulky tin toy. It was made in two color versions, red and blue. Besides the base color difference, the red version has slightly different litho detailing and carries the Cragstan logo.

The blue version appeared in Higbee's Toys Catalog for 1966, currently the first sighting.

Versions with vinyl child heads were also released.

ASTRONAUT, FRICTION TETSUJIN STYLE - LP? - HONG KONGA delightful plastic astronaut from Hong Kong. The figure is based on a Tetsujin T28 style astronaut. He lies flat with wheels in his chest, arms extended with old fashioned pistols in each hand. On his back is a chrome jet pack and there's a Jetson style antenna on his head. Friction action. The astronaut comes dismantled in a small colorful box. Seen in red and blue versions.

An LP blister carded version is known. The Tetsujin figure is packed along with four chrome silver LP astronauts: Set No 105A

ATOM ROBOT - YOSHIYA - JAPANTin wind up/inertia crank action skirted robot. Bump and go mystery action. Loose swinging arms. There are two distinct body variations, one with a silver color and one is silver blue. In addition the are two eye colors: red eye and yellow eye. There is possibly also a green eye.
An example has been found with what looks like a possible sound clicker mechanism inside, but no working version has yet been established. The first sighting is in Western Auto Christmas Catalog for 1964.

ATOMIC ROBOT - YONEZAWA - JAPANTin and plastic wind up robot. Known as the Rotational Robot because of the distinctive turning of the top half of the body. The robot waddles as pins extend from the base. It has loose plastic arms. Two guns are attached to the shoulders. A slot in the chest serves no purpose, but the box art suggests it is a death ray. There is an odd skull-like face beneath the outer head structure. Pin-foot

The Atom Robot first appeared in the Yonezawa catalog for 1968 where it is described as a new item with the item number 819.

ATOMIC ROBOT MAN - CK? - JAPANOccupied Japan, though the box does not carry the wording. Tin wind up robot with pin feet. The first post-war robot. Two versions exist: a tin arm version (1) and one with cast metal arms (2). There are color variations (3) but these may reflect the vagaries of tinplate lithography rather than intentional releases. The brown color can vary between a rich nut brown and the more familiar grey-brown. Fading of the paint can also lead to supposed variations, often with a greenish hue.

The first sighting is the Miles Kimball catalog for 1949, though the robot possibly predates this by a couple of years. The tin arm version is pictured in the 1949 catalog. A cast arm version was available at the New York Science Fiction Conference in 1950. (4) It was stamped on the back with details of the conference.

One version of the box carries the 1949 date (5). The maker has not been established yet though the CK company is a strong contender. This robot bears a stylistic similarity to the pre-war Lilliput robot. The lozenge shoes, the pin feet and the lithographic detailing have prompted speculation about the connection between them.

Robot walks forward, stops then fires lit up guns which pop out from chest. Straight legs. Second generation.

Two litho versions are known: the earlier one with a grey surround to the chest and a later gold edged version. The grey was new in 1972 and sold with the English and Japanese boxes.

The gold version was new in the 1977 Horikawa catalog, art no 5037.

ATTACKING MARTIAN ASTRONAUT VERSION - HORIKAWA - JAPANThis is a silver astronaut version of the original classic large tin battery operated Attacking Martian. It has the identical action: walking, opening doors, firing guns and flashing lights. The box art is a powerful depiction of the robots attacking.

This robot has a black plastic battery box and the thick tin arms.

The astronaut version in brown was also sold as the Space Patrol: the box is identical except for the wording.

ATTACKING MARTIAN BIG HEAD- HORIKAWA- JAPANThe "big head" version of the small 9 inch tin and plastic fly eye robot. The body has slightly different litho. The head is appreciably larger with red fly eyes. This head is unusual in that it is plastic with a tin face which is held on with screws. It is no bigger than the 11" Attacking Martian but looks oversized on the smaller Attacking Martian. This is a later version than the ordinary head.

Robot walks forward, stops then fires lit up guns which pop out from chest. Straight legs (they don't narrow at the top).

ATTACKING MARTIAN GOLD - HORIKAWA - JAPANMade in Japan by Horikawa trademark 'SH', 1966 first version all tin plate in gold. Battery operated walking action, chest doors open and two cannons pop out flashing with gun noise. Robot version of the Horikawa Attacking Martian. First generation. This battery operated robot came in an an iconic red box with graphics showing many Attacking Martians falling from the sky.

Earliest versions have large tin arms and and the white tin battery box and gold metal chest panel. Widely on sale in 1966.

It is assumed that for economy Horikawa later switched to using a black plastic battery box. These version have the thick tin arms.

One version came in a box with a 'Telsalda' importers label on the lid, who are better known for importing plastic toys and general items into the UK from Hong Kong. - 29cm

ATTACKING MARTIAN LIGHTED EYE MEDALLION VERSION - HORIKAWA - JAPANTin battery operated robot with fly eyes and firing guns behind opening chest doors. This version has red fly eyes that light uo. This Attacking Martian has distinctive circular decorations (medallions) on the door instead of the green plastic windows. The box art is a later type depicting a giant robot being attacked by jet planes.

This body top was used as the basis (or vice versa) of the Space Commander Tank Robot.

Featured in Aldens Christmas catalog 1971

ATTACKING MARTIAN LONG ARM MEDALLION VERSION - HORIKAWA - JAPANTin battery operated robot with fly eyes and firing guns behind opening chest doors. Featuring in the Aldens 1971 catalog where it is called the Mighty Mechanical Walking Robot. The original Attacking Martian has had some changes: long plastic arms and distinctive circular decorations on the door instead of the green plastic windows. The Aldens catalog version shows a robot with the more usual closed tin arms, not the open Busy Cart arms seen here.

This body top was used as the basis (or vice versa?) of the Space Commander Tank Robot.

Are the arms original? Box details?

ATTACKING MARTIAN WITH LIGHTED EYES VERSION - HORIKAWA - JAPANA standard tin battery operated Attacking Martian robot with lights added to the head to create a glowing red eye effect. The box artwork is the English wording box which has been altered to illustrate the effect. "With Lighted Eyes" wording has been added to all panels. Battery op with walking action, opening doors and shooting guns in the chest.

ATTACKING MARTIAN, MEDALLION VERSION - HORIKAWA - JAPANTin battery operated robot with fly eyes and firing guns behind opening chest doors. This version featured in the Aldens 1971 catalog where it is called the Mighty Mechanical Walking Robot. The original Attacking Martian has distinctive circular decorations (medallions) on the door instead of the green plastic windows. The box art is the firtst type descending robots on a red background.

This body top was used as the basis (or vice versa) of the Space Commander Tank Robot.

ATTACKING MARTIAN, SILVER - HORIKAWA - JAPANRobot version of the Horikawa Attacking Martian. First generation. This battery operated robot came in an an iconic red box with graphics showing many Attacking Martians falling from the sky. Widely on sale in 1966.

Earliest versions have large tin arms and and the white tin battery box and silver metal chest panel. Some have a red metal chest panel.

It is assumed that for economy Horikawa later switched to using a black plastic battery box. These version have the thick tin arms.

ATTACKING MARTIAN, THREE COLOURS - HORIKAWA - JAPANThe 3 colour versions of the 1966 1st type non-rotating battery operated Attacking Martian robot - Brown silver gold in order of rarity - gold being the hardest to find - Made in Japan - mostly tin plate metal with green plastic inserts in chest doors. Earliest have white painted metal battery compartment later changed to plastic. Earlier ones also have a translucent green pointed switch. An easy way to spot the difference between early and later is the tapering of the arm/hand on later ones. You can see the distinct taper on the gold version.

The first sighting of the Attacking Robot is in the 1984 Horikawa catalog, and in the Alps catalog for the same year. Alps are evidently the importer. The robot is very close in design to the Space Fighter. Photo box marks a change from artwork to the cheaper photo box.

BAM-BO - ESTRELA - BRAZILRound body (Type 1) Karate Robot variation. Brazilian plastic battery op robot. Tumbling acrobat action. See also the Silver Warrior. There are a wide range of versions achieved by the use of different body, leg and arm colors and by the use of decals. Two box versions shown.

BANCOMATICO ROBOT BANK - MAKER? - MEXICOA range of soft plastic money boxes loosely modelled on the large Alps robots. Made for the Banco Nacional de Mexico. Marked BNM in the chest.

Two versions shown. The circular cutout in the head is for coins. Date?

One of the Topper Ding-A-Ling series that can be motorised with the addition of a battery operated backpack. Sold in boxed clear plastic packaging.

Believed to be prototype only until this example was posted on Alphadrome.

BATMAN - BANDAI - JAPANThis is a rarely seen tin battery operated version of Batman character robot. The silver and blue toy is smaller than the Nomura copy and the vinyl head has a more childlike appearance. In the chest is a lighted Batman logo and there's a blue vinyl cape.

Walks, lighting logo in chest. The box has a DC Comics cartoon style graphic of Batman. Released for the Japanese market c1966.

BATMAN - LUSIA - ARGENTINAAn eccentric and rarely seen tin wind up Batman figure from Argentina. Felt hood and cape. Lusia made Batman and Superman figures in the late 1960s. There is a lever on the feet that switches from forward to backward movement (ratchets in the feet are allowed to move forward or backward). The wheels in the feet are cast iron.

Lusia used a variety of Schuco pressing from the 1930s to the 1960s, though there is no Scuhco equivalent of this figure. 16cm

BATMAN - NOMURA - JAPANThe Nomura Batman is definitely not a rare robot, but it appeals to a wide range of collectors: robot, Batman, battery ops, tin toys etc and this accounts for its value.

Light and dark blue tin and vinyl battery operated superhero. Lighted vinyl head. Circa 1966. Advances with walking motion and swinging arms as his head lights. He has a blue cloth cape fastened to his chest with a small yellow bat shaped clip. The cape has a Batman logo screen printed in the center. Some boxes sold in UK, carry a Fairylight distributor's sticker.

There are currenty three known variations: the standard blue with a closed mouth, the standard blue with a wide grin and the red body version. There is no substance to claims about rare back to front feet versions: they are all the same.

Featured in the Nomura 1968 catalog.

Image courtesy Bat-Blog

BATMAN ROBOT - BANDAI - JAPANA very rare Batman toy from Bandai. This is a rather odd depiction of Batman, far removed from the 1966 Adam West look: the structure is vinyl on a metal framework. The lean looking body is grey with blue trunks, gloves, and feet. Batman has a broad utility belt and a logo on his chest. The blue cloth cape has Japanese characters. Wind up walking action with moving arms.

BATMAN ROBOT - TADA - JAPANWhen Tada decided to make a Batman toy they had a suitable pressing available. The result is this light blue tin wind up robot. The distinctive feature of the toy is the length of the legs and the wide stance: this gives the toy a waddling walk. There's a vinyl head and a cloth cape. Made for the Japanese market. The artwork is close to the 1960s comic style. Marked Tada. c1966

The legs and hands are the same as used on the Planet Robot. KO logo and Made in Japan on backpack, the same as the black versions High-wheel Robot.

The remote control battery holder is a rather flimsy blue plastic which often loses the small molded catches that keep it closed.

This 6 gear, battery operated remote control, blue color variation of this robot was produced by Yoshiya and released in 1965 (it features in a 1965 Yoshiya Catalog). The same gear configuration was used for one of the wind up versions.

BATTERY OPERATED ROBOT aka TARGET ROBOT - MASUDAYA - JAPANIt's actually just ROBOT on the box, so it has acquired the nickname Target Robot. It was the last member of the gang of five to be manufactured and sold in 1965. It has the Masudaya catalog number #3357

The planned but unproduced Shooting Giant Robot was the prototype for Target Robot in 1963/64.
It was featured in the Masudaya catalog dated 1963-1964 and the catalog # is 3357, the same number as Target Robot. (Joe K.)

The old fashioned grey plastic pistol is an authenticated gun for this robot. Frequently a more modern looking tin automatic gun is shown: it might be later variation or a makeshift.